NFS Vs Vbox Share

Yes, you can use VirtualBox's Shared Folders feature as persistent storage for VM2 instead of using an NFS share. This can be a convenient option for a home lab setup, especially if you want to simplify the configuration and avoid setting up an NFS server.

Steps to Use VirtualBox Shared Folders for VM2

1. Set Up Shared Folders in VirtualBox:

   • Open VirtualBox and select VM2.
   • Go to Settings > Shared Folders.
   • Click on the Add icon to create a new shared folder.
   • Choose a folder on your host machine (Physical Machine 1) that you want to share.
   • Set the folder name (this will be used in the VM) and check the options for "Auto-mount" and "Make Permanent" if desired.

2. Install Required Packages on VM2:

   • Start VM2 and log in.
   • Install the necessary packages to access shared folders:
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   apk add virtualbox-ose-guest-additions

   • Ensure that the VirtualBox Guest Additions are installed and running. This may require you to mount the Guest Additions ISO and run the installer.

3. Access the Shared Folder:

   • If you enabled auto-mount, the shared folder should be available under /media/sf_<folder_name>. If not, you can manually mount it:
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   mkdir -p /mnt/shared
   mount -t vboxsf <folder_name> /mnt/shared

   Replace <folder_name> with the name you specified in the VirtualBox settings.

4. Update Your Kubernetes Deployment:

   • Modify your Kubernetes deployment manifest for the application running on VM2 to use the shared folder as persistent storage. Here’s an example for a deployment using the shared folder:
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   apiVersion: apps/v1
   kind: Deployment
   metadata:
     name: your-app
   spec:
     replicas: 1
     selector:
       matchLabels:
         app: your-app
     template:
       metadata:
         labels:
           app: your-app
       spec:
         containers:
         - name: your-app
           image: your-app-image
           ports:
           - containerPort: 80
           volumeMounts:
           - name: shared-storage
             mountPath: /path/in/container
         volumes:
         - name: shared-storage
           hostPath:
             path: /mnt/shared

   In this example, replace /path/in/container with the path where you want to mount the shared folder inside the container.

Considerations

• Performance: VirtualBox shared folders may not perform as well as NFS, especially under heavy load or with many concurrent accesses. However, for a home lab and light usage, it should be sufficient.

• Permissions: Ensure that the user running the container has the necessary permissions to access the shared folder. You may need to adjust permissions on the host or within the VM.

• Container Restarts: If the container restarts, ensure that the shared folder is still mounted correctly. You may need to include the mount command in your container's startup script if it's not automatically mounted.

Using VirtualBox shared folders can simplify your setup and is a valid approach for a home lab environment.